HAMBURG, Germany and LONDON, November 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

JD Group plans to integrate CoreMedia CMS and CoreMedia LiveContext with SAP^® Web Channel Experience Management to deliver full multi-channel customer experience

CoreMedia, a leading Web Content Management (WCM) company, today announced that JD Group - a major Southern African retailer and financial services provider - has selected
CoreMedia CMS and CoreMedia LiveContext to optimize its online customer engagement channels and leverage the SAP^® Web Channel Experience Management application. With mobile solutions increasingly becoming the online access channel of choice for many consumers in southern Africa, JD Group will be able to provide its customers with context-aware, online experiences across any channel or touchpoint.

The selection builds on CoreMedia's strong partnership with SAP, and underscores the strength of CoreMedia LiveContext's contextual marketing solution used together with and SAP Web Channel Experience Management 2.0. CoreMedia is working with Ctrlroom, a leading South African e-commerce and online digital strategy consultancy, to implement the project for JD Group. CoreMedia's powerful engagement capabilities will help enrich the overall customer experience that companies within JD Group are able to offer online - particularly across critical channels such as mobile and social - resulting in increased engagement, higher sales as well as stronger customer loyalty.

"At JD Group our group-wide 'Art of Service' initiative focuses on delivering a positive customer experience, whether that's in our stores or online across a growing range of channels," commented Andrew Murray, JD Group's Chief Information Officer. "Central to this initiative is our ability to anticipate and recognize our customers' requirements and deliver on their expectations. It's critical for JD Group to have an outstanding online presence, and we knew we needed a content management solution that could add real value to our existing SAP solutions.

"Having recently implemented the SAP ERP application group-wide to power our critical back-office operations, it was essential that any solution integrated with SAP Web Channel Experience Management," Murray continued. "CoreMedia CMS and CoreMedia LiveContext not only met this criteria, but also demonstrated that they were extremely customizable and easy for our business and marketing staff to use. Using the CoreMedia solutions to effectively manage and deliver our multiple content assets contextually will also help us to grow JD Group's online presence and e-commerce revenues in furniture retail and financial services while also offering much improved customer engagement."

JD Group's first major project based on CoreMedia will be an online financial services site, featuring an integrated loan application that links directly with their implementation of the SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) application. Speed of implementation was also viewed as a key factor in JD Group's decision to select CoreMedia, with site development, testing and deployment taking weeks rather than months. The project will then be rolled out across JD Group's multiple brands, with Web properties that will include CoreMedia CMS and/or CoreMedia LiveContext with SAP Web Channel Experience Management.

"We're delighted that JD Group has chosen our CoreMedia CMS and CoreMedia LiveContext to deliver content management and contextual marketing for its major SAP solution-based, multi-brand e-commerce project," added CoreMedia's CEO, Gerrit Kolb. " Our powerful, yet easy-to-use editorial tools integrate seamlessly with SAP Web Channel Experience Management, allowing JD Group business users to instantly access and publish online content regardless of the channels or touchpoints involved. The CoreMedia CMS solution with its SAP-certified for integration with SAP NetWeaver^®, confirms our ability to meet the highest level of technical and interoperability standards for major customers such as JD Group."

CoreMedia is teaming with SAP to help fuel the delivery of highly relevant, contextual Web information for companies like JD Group. CoreMedia LiveContext enables organizations using SAP Web Channel Experience Management to support every aspect of a customer's experience with rich, contextual information that's unified across every online channel. SAP Web Channel Experience Management 2.0 delivers a full range of e-marketing, e-commerce and e-service functions for creating and deploying Web shops as a profitable sales, service and interaction channel.

About JD Group

The JD Group operates in Southern Africa as a leading diversified mass finance consumer financier, a differentiated furniture, household appliance, consumer electronic goods, home entertainment, office automation and building supplies retailer, and as a diversified retailer of motor vehicles, vehicle servicing and parts. The group's six operating business divisions serve their target markets through a multi-branded channel network representing 12 retail brands, with a footprint of 1,143 retail stores and 84 motor dealerships across the region. For more information, visit http://www.jdgroup.co.za

About Ctrlroom

Based near Durban, South Africa, Ctrlroom works with organizations to increase their online conversion rates and develop coherent digital strategies to augment their above the line marketing activities. The company brings together all the core disciplines of Web enablement - including user experience, e-commerce consulting and integration, content management, search engine optimization, Web analytics and social media marketing - that combine to deliver optimized conversion rates. http://www.ctrlroom.co

About CoreMedia

CoreMedia is a leading provider of Web Content Management (WCM) software to organizations demanding engaging, context-driven online experiences for their customers - regardless of channel or touchpoint. The company's WCM suite offers unique business value by seamlessly integrating digital and social media assets, increasing editorial productivity and accelerating time to market in complex environments. As a result, businesses can more effectively execute their online strategies to engage users, build customer loyalty and ultimately drive greater revenue and profitability.

Established in 1996, CoreMedia is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with offices in San Francisco, London, and Singapore. CoreMedia's clients include global brands, such as the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Bertelsmann, BILD, CLAAS, Continental, EPCOS, Deutsche Telekom, Internet Broadcasting, O2, and Singapore Press Holdings.

http://www.coremedia.com

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All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Cheryl Billson
CoreMedia PR Team
+44(0)7791-720460
Cheryl.billson@commacomms.com